


The Bitter Taste Of You

by FaygoMayhem



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bullying, Gay Bashing, Hate Sex, M/M, Toxic Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 12:25:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaygoMayhem/pseuds/FaygoMayhem
Summary: From the start Ignis and Gladiolus never got along, but what are they expected to do when they find out the person they hate is also the only one they can love?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again all, it's been a little while. I've dove headfirst into the Gladnis trash bin and while I love all the wonderful fics out there of Gladio and Iggy being super lovey and sweet to each other, I ended up taking another route and decided to explore what would happen if they just clashed to much to ever try to build understanding between them (and sex has to happen because reasons). So here's the start of my different take on their relationship starting from close to the game's beginning and then flashing back to how they started. Hope you all enjoy.

A small clock chimes on the wall announcing the arrival of a new day. Twelve o’ clock a.m. and Ignis Scientia still sits at his desk with his head in his hands trying to ward off a headache born from hours spent hunched over a seemingly endless stack of reports that needed read, noted and condensed into a simpler format more fitting for the unreliable attention span of the crown Prince. With a heavy sigh he picks up the last report of the night and begins to skim it over, trying to get his bleary eyes to focus on crop statistics and projected growth rates.

He’s about to call it a night when he hears a car horn blearing from outside his apartment in a familiar pattern meant for his ears only. For a moment he’s filled with rage, just who did the man think he was showing up at this time of night after nearly a year of absence and just expecting him to answer the call? He spends a lot of time considering not going down and finally denying the egotistical, inconsiderate cad. As he thinks the horn rings out again, and Ignis can hear the man’s voice ringing with every short press.

“ _I know that you’re awake, and if you don’t get your prissy ass down here I’ll sit here and honk this horn until it wakes up your entire building.”_

With another heavy sigh he walks over to his bedroom window, pulls the curtain aside, and flashes a light in a pattern that indicates that he’s heard the signal and will be down shortly. He walks into the bathroom to take a quick survey of his appearance. His hair is wild from his hand running through it too many times and his dress shirt is wrinkled and half unbuttoned. He quickly runs a brush through his hair and shrugs off the shirt, knowing the other man won’t care if he appears in only his undershirt and loose track pants. Grabbing his jacket and keys he hurries out the door before the horn can sound impatiently once again.

He gets down to the car in question and his rage peaks again at the all too familiar sight of a burly man relaxing in the driver’s seat. He opens the passenger door but doesn’t get in the car, choosing instead to stare the other man down and communicate his irritation with his sudden re-appearance.

“What are you doing here Gladiolus?” he asks finally when it becomes clear that the other man has no intention of breaking their silence. The muscle bound man snorts and rests his tattooed forearms on the steering wheel, looking over at Ignis with a pointed sneer on his face.

“Stupid question, Iggy. You know exactly why I’m here,” the man replied with a confident smirk on his face.

The truth to his words only served to irritate Ignis further and he seriously considered just slamming the door and returning to his apartment before this went any further. Even without the finer details he could guess well enough why the other man was here; a bad break-up, stressful day at work, or just plain boredom were all seemingly suitable excuses for the man to show up outside his door and demand time that he had so little of in the first place.

“What makes you think you can show up here after all this time and ask anything of me? I have work to do, as you very well know.”

“I know that you’re probably wound so tight right now that I could snap you in half with one hand, and that no matter how much you deny it you need this as much as I do. Just shut your damn brain off for a minute and get in the car.”

Ignis growled in frustration and threw himself into the passenger seat, knowing that the other man was unlikely to leave no matter what he said. One of these days he would walk away no matter what the consequence, but for now at least the Shield’s words and his own desires were more powerful than the anger at his sudden re-appearance.  

\----

The long drive to the outskirts of the city was spent in silence with only the occasional fidgeting from the driver or deep sighing from the passenger breaking through the tense atmosphere. Once or twice Ignis caught Gladiolus opening his mouth to make some small talk before shutting it again knowing that Ignis wouldn’t appreciate falsely friendly conversation.  When they pulled up to the parking lot of the dingy motel they had so often frequented in the past Ignis got out of the car without a word and made the walk over to the reception desk. There was little need to speak to the man behind the counter as he handed over an exact amount of crowns in exchange for the key to the room they always used when they hid themselves away here. The establishment wasn’t up to Ignis’ standards of cleanliness or hospitality, but what it lacked in amenities it made up in absolute discretion so they didn’t have to worry about the press getting tipped off to their presence.

Ignis made his way over to the room, intentionally passing the car where Gladiolus still sat in wait. He only had time to enter the room and remove his jacket and shoes before there was a pounding on the door. He walked over and opened the door just enough to disengage the lock for the man on the other side to let himself in. The behemoth of a man barely shut the door behind him before his lips were crashing on Ignis’ own and he was pushed back toward the wall. Strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer, grinding their lower halves together and causing them both to groan at the friction. Large hands rubbed down his sides and then back up under his shirt to caress his abdomen and pecks. Ignis’ own hands wound around the back of the larger man’s neck to pull roughly at surprisingly soft black hair causing the larger man to growl and bite at his neck in a spot that could be easily concealed by clothing. He wasted no time quickly pulling Ignis’ shirt over his head so he could have better access to the rest of his skin.

“Eager are we?” Ignis gasped out as Gladio continued to lick and suck gently along the column of his neck.

“Been awhile,” Gladio grunted as he grazed a particularly sensitive spot behind his ear that he knew would cause him to cry out and buck his hips.

“Whose fault is that?” he asked with a bit too much bite behind his words. Gladio growled again and shoved him flush against the wall, reclaiming his mouth so aggressively that their teeth clacked together as he shoved his tongue down Ignis’ throat. Ignis responded in kind and the two continued to exchange rough, sloppy kisses as he trailed his hands down the shield’s torso to the front of his pants where he deftly unbuttoned the fly so he could massage his cock through the fabric of his underwear.  

Gladio gave a low rumble of approval and pulled Ignis closer once again, this time turning him around and forcing him back toward the modest bed in the center of the room. Ignis fell back on cue when the edge of the bed brushed his upper thighs and he wrapped his arms around the larger man’s neck once more to drag him down with him and lock their mouths together again.

Hands continued moving over and under clothes to touch and grab whatever skin was within reach as they both situated themselves on the bed. No more than a few minutes passed before Gladio made a frustrated noise and roughly tugged off Ignis’ pants and underwear to expose him fully while stealing an appreciative glance that he was sure he wasn’t meant to see.

“Enjoying the view?” Ignis asked coyly as Gladio continued to stare much longer than he probably intended. The larger man scowled and dropped his pants the rest of the way, pausing to grab something in his pocket before grabbing Ignis’ legs and pulling him forward until his ass was almost flush with the end of the bed.

“You ever shut up?” Gladio growled as he ripped the small packet in his hands open with his teeth and coated his fingers with the slippery substance inside.

“Do you… intend on making me?” Ignis groaned as Gladio shoved a thick finger inside him and began to thrust it in and out.

“That’s always the plan,” Gladio smirked as he added another finger causing the smaller man to keen and thrust his hips forward to meet the pace of his fingers. He stretched him until they were both clamoring for more, and as much as the Shield wanted to hear Ignis drop the composed attitude that never failed to drive him mad he was getting much too impatient to spend the time needed to properly pick him apart.

He withdrew his fingers and stepped away just long enough to step away to roll on a condom and liberally slick himself with the rest of the lube. He walked back and grabbed one of Ignis’ long legs and threw it up over his shoulder as he lined himself up with his entrance, thankful for his natural flexibility. Without hesitation he pushed himself in to the hilt, drinking in the scream from the man beneath him and letting it go straight to his cock. It had been some time since he was allowed to get this rough and the power trip made his head spin a bit as he began to thrust at a brutal pace.

“Fuck you’re so damn tight. You could probably process diamonds in here,” Gladio grunted as he was overwhelmed with the sensations of Ignis’ body. He would never admit it but he had really missed this-missed him- in his disastrous attempt to stay away for good.

“Now who’s the one talking too much?” Ignis panted out as he focused his energy on rocking his hips to meet Gladio’s every thrust. When his prostate was finally grazed he arched almost completely off the bed with a loud moan of satisfaction. Gladio adjusted his angle to keep hitting that spot as Ignis wrapped his hand around his own cock and pumped himself in time with the intense pounding. Harsh breathing and the steady slapping of skin on skin replaced their banter until Ignis signaled that he was getting close. Gladio grunted and sped up again, feeling his own end impending as well. Ignis’ grip tightened on his cock and with a few more tugs he came with a sharp cry as his vision whited out and his body trembled in pleasure.

Gladio wasn’t far behind and with a few more rough thrusts he spent himself inside, growling with the force of the orgasm. They remained in position panting with exertion for a few moments until Gladio regained the frame of mind to drop Ignis’ leg and pull out, groaning a little with the loss of heat and pressure. He disposed of the condom and walked naked into the room’s small bathroom and grabbed a washrag to clean himself up and then went out to throw it at Ignis so he could do the same. Wordlessly he tugged his pants back on and walked out to the small balcony outside leaving Ignis alone on the bed to collect himself.

It took him a while to come down having not experienced an orgasm that intense since the last time they had shared this room so many months ago. When he was fully in control of his limbs again he rolled off the bed to find his pants. The movement caused him to wince in pain, he would definitely be regretting this during tomorrow’s meetings but for now he shoved it aside and went to join Gladio outside. He wasn’t surprised to find him smoking a cigarette and looking out into the night with a distant expression on his face. The other man made no motion to acknowledge his presence as he stepped beside him to steal the cigarette from his fingers.

“So I take it things ended with…..Samantha was it? I can barely keep track of the names anymore,” Ignis asked as he took a drag from the small white stick and passed it back to Gladio who took it without looking over.

“Said she couldn’t handle always coming second to the job anymore. Wasn’t ready to give everything to someone who couldn’t give everything back…or some shit like that. I stopped paying attention after ‘I think we should end it’.” Gladio ground the cigarette out on the railing and flicked the butt into the distance, ignoring Ignis’ indignant huff at his littering. “I just….I really thought it would work this time. I was about to ask her to move in with me, ya know?” He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall looking a bit like a wounded puppy and for a moment, Ignis almost felt sorry for him.

“When are you going to learn that our lives aren’t meant for the kind of domestic romance you find in those disgusting dime store novels?” Ignis asked softly, crossing his arms over his chest and staring over at the Shield.

“Yeah, well, at least I’m _trying_ to have a life instead of burying myself in paperwork and pointless nagging. Do you even do anything that’s not related to Noctis or the crown? You take servitude to a whole other level Iggy, and if you keep going you’re going to die young and alone with nothing but coffee stains on your ‘I love Noctis’ t-shirt,” Gladio was glaring down at him now, annoyed at the jab to his personal life.

“If that’s true at least I would die true to my own heart, instead of desperately trying to hide who and what I am.” Ignis bit back smoothly, feeling his own temper rising. Thankfully Gladio hung his head with that last comment, conceding defeat for now and ending the argument before it could get more heated. They stood in silence for a while, both letting their anger dissipate before daring to speak again.

It was always like this them, no interaction could be complete without tearing each other down and sparing no feelings in order to have the last word.  Sure they were civil enough when their routines forced them to interact, but when left alone the years of distain built from their clashing personalities and ideals always showed in the way they couldn’t help but fight each other.

 “So,” Ignis began when he had re-composed himself. He regretted his harsh assessment of Gladio’s situation and hated that he was only adding to the pain of another failed relationship. In truth he envied the other man’s will to keep trying to find happiness in other people despite knowing it likely wouldn’t work out. The least he could do was let the other find whatever comfort he could in their heated interactions. Gladio glared over at him as if daring Ignis to make any more snarky comments about what he did with his personal time. “We have the room for the night. Are we going to continue making use of it?”

“Ya know, that’s the best damn question you’ve asked in months,” Gladio smirked and stalked over, quickly closing the distance between them.

“I have my moments,” Ignis gave his own smirk in return before pulling Gladio’s head down for another bruising kiss.

In another reality things would be different. They would be free to love as they pleased instead of maintaining this toxic relationship based purely on the fact that there were no other people that could be trusted enough to keep the level of discretion and secrecy needed for these type of encounters. As much as they both hated it, they needed each other. For now there was nothing they could do but hide their hurt and frustration with circumstance with rough, unemotional, sex inside the confining walls of a shitty motel room. For now, as it had been for years, this fucked up thing between them would have to be enough.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back again! I got a little burnt out on fluff during IgNoct week so I couldn't resist going back to angsty Gladnis when I finally stopped feeling like I got hit by a garbage truck. Thanks to everyone in the Chill XV Discord group for inspiring me to get out of bed and do the thing.

The first time Ignis laid eyes on Gladiolus Amicitia he was nothing more than a silhouette rapidly scaling the outside of the Citadel’s astronomy tower. He was thirteen and taking a leisurely walk around the palace grounds in between lessons, thankful to finally have some time alone, when he heard a group of boys chattering nervously to themselves at the base of the tower. Curious, he hid himself behind a tree to see what the commotion was about.

“I can’t believe you dared him to do that, the Marshal’s going to tan our hides if he finds out…”

“I didn’t think he’d be dumb enough to actually do it.”

“You should know better than to challenge Gladio to anything you don’t actually want to see happen. Remember when he drank that whole bottle of Hellfire Hot Sauce because you teased him for pulling a hot pepper off his burger?”

“Yeah, he freaked that family out so hard when he ran over to their table and just started dumping their pitchers of water in his mouth, I thought they were going to call the cops when the kid started crying.”

“Look! He’s about half way up! Ten gil says he tries to show off and loses his footing.”

“I know him too well to ever take that bet.”

Ignis glanced up at the tower just in time to spot the boy in question leap dramatically onto the ledge of one of the tower’s windows only to slip and be left dangling by one hand. He quickly pulls his phone out, ready to alert an adult in case the boy injured himself with this bullheaded stunt. Really, how crazy did a person have to be to ever think that vertically climbing the outside of a 123 meter tower was a _good idea_?

The boys on the ground laughed as they watched their friend struggle to regain his hold on the ledge, not seeming to care about the dangerous position he’d gotten himself in. Judging by their uniforms and similar hairstyles the group was made up of the newest batch of junior Crownsguard recruits, the ones that all came from noble families and had their futures planned for them before they could even walk. Ignis feels a shiver run down his spine at the thought that this group was going to be in charge of the Prince’s safety in the near future.

“Heh, called it. If he falls and dies you think he would mind if I took his collection of five star King’s Knight trading cards?”

“You’ll have to fight me for them.”

“No fair you two, I’ve known him longest, I get dibs on his stuff.”

“Think he’s getting tired yet?”

“He’s going to be so useless for training later, probably going to end in all of us getting extra laps.”

“He’s almost at the top, guess we’ll have to pay up.”

“Only if he can climb back down too”

The boys collectively cheered and flashed victory signs as their friend climbed over the railing at the top of the tower and began to dance in triumph. Ignis let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and shook his head. This kind of posturing never lead to anything good. The boy stopped to rest for a few minutes before hoisting himself back over the railing to begin his dissent.

Ignis contemplated leaving but decided he might as well stick around to get a good luck at the foolish climber, if only so he could avoid all contact with him in the future. The climb down seemed to be proceeding much faster than the way up and it wasn’t long before he’d gotten close enough to the ground to be able to jump down and pull off a flourished roll.

The group of boys all swarmed around him so they could pat him on the back and cheer him for a job well done. Ignis peeked out from behind the tree to appraise the boy fully once the others had backed off. The boy couldn’t have been much older than Ignis, but he was certainly much larger. At least a head and a half taller with a physique that already rivaled most of the elder Crownsguard men. His hair was buzzed on the sides and short and spikey on top in a typical military style, and he had a wide, toothy, grin that perfectly matched his warm amber eyes.

“Man Gladio, you really are a beast. I didn’t think you could do it.”

“That’ll teach ya to ever doubt me, I can do anything!”

It seemed the boy certainly had an ego to match the size of his head. Ignis had seen enough. Now that the boy was safely back on the ground and hopefully wouldn’t be requiring any emergency services, it was time for him to get back to his studies before he was overwhelmed with the amount of posturing coming from the group of the boys.

As he gathered his bag and went to leave, Ignis gave a final glance over to the group, and his heart nearly leapt into his throat when he suddenly locked eyes with the tall boy. Panicked, he ducked back behind the tree and made a hasty retreat back into the Citadel before the others could also be alerted to presence.

Once safely back inside he ducked into a corridor to make absolutely sure that he wasn’t followed. After a few minutes he convinced himself that he was being overly paranoid. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d actually done anything to provoke any sort of confrontation with the other boys. After recomposing himself he walked confidently to his next lesson, vowing to put everything he’d just witnessed out of his mind.

-  


Two days later, Ignis is in the library gathering a few books when he hears a group of familiar voices sounding off from the main aisle. It’s incredibly rare for anyone other than himself to be in the library long after most people had already gone home for the day, so he is automatically on high alert that something’s wrong. Unable to help himself, he silently moved through the rows of bookshelves until he was close enough to hear what they were talking about.

“You sure he’s in here?”

“Positive, that damn nerd almost never leaves his little sanctuary.”

Ignis swallowed nervously and quickly backed away from the main aisle. Those were the voices of the boys from the other day and they were apparently here looking for _him_. His eyes darted from one end of bookshelves to the next, looking for the quickest way to escape without being seen, but there was no way for him to get out without crossing paths with the people hunting him.

His only option would be to try and draw them further in to the library and out-maneuver them by ducking around the shelves until he had a clear path out. The boys split up and Ignis tracked the movements of the two that came his direction, somehow able to weave around the aisles out of sight until they were all at the back of the room.

Once he was positive that they were far enough in, he changed direction and made his way back to the center. He had almost made it all the way out when he got careless and rammed himself a little too hard against one of the shelves, causing a few books to come crashing down to the floor and giving away his position. He heard the boys shout to each other and made a mad dash for the exit, only to run straight into the solid mass of the boy he had seen climbing the tower.

“Ah, there you are. Goin’ somewhere?” The boy, Gladio, if he was remembering correctly, smirked down at him as his friends emerged from where they had been searching. Ignis straightened and did his best to maintain a clam exterior, it wouldn’t do him any good to show fear.

“Can I help you gentlemen with something?” he asked as diplomatically as possible as the other boys surrounded him and cut off all routes of escape. This was not good.

“Oh, I think you’ve already done enough, snitch,” a blonde boy with a buzz cut similar to Gladio’s stepped forward and got in his face, sporting a very dangerous glare in his dark brown eyes. Never one to back down, Ignis glared back intently, not allowing himself to be intimidated.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, so you _weren’t_ the one Gladio saw spying on us the other day from behind a tree….meaning that it _couldn’t_ have possibly been you who ratted us out to the Marshal and got us all stuck with extra training for the next two weeks, huh?” The boy sneered at him and pushed him backward into the path of the two boys standing behind him. He fell on hard on his backside and they both stepped forward to each grab one of his arms and pull him back to his feet.

“It’s true that I saw you the other day, but it wasn’t me who said anything to the Marshal. What you do in your free time is no concern of mine,” Ignis argued, struggling to keep the panic out of his voice. He doubted he was going to be able to talk himself out of the situation but pleading his case still seemed like the sensible thing to do. Still sneering the blonde boy stepped forward again and backhanded him across the face, sending his glasses flying across the room and causing a bit of blood to trickle down the corner of his mouth.

Gladio walked over and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder before he could land another blow, “Hey, take it easy Ray. I thought we were just here to give him a warning.”

Ray shrugged the hand off his shoulder and instead drove his knee into Ignis’ sternum, knocking the wind out of him. He would have doubled over in pain if the other two boys weren’t still holding his arms taught so he was unable to move or fight back.

“When did you become such a wuss Amicitia? We came to teach Speccy here a thing or two about messing with the Crownsguard and that’s exactly what I’m doing. Serves him right for being somewhere he shouldn’t,” Gladio turned his face toward the ground as Ray landed another punch to Ignis’ eye. He signaled for the other two to drop his arms and he fell forward on to his knees, curling into himself to protect his head as the boys took turns kicking at his sides and legs.

He wasn’t sure how long he was down, but it felt like an eternity for the blows to finally stop long enough for him to struggle back to his knees. The blonde smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest, satisfied in his teaching methods.

“Come on guys, let’s get out of here. This scrawny little dork isn’t worth any more of our time,” he spat down at Ignis on floor before gesturing over to his friends. They both delivered a final kick to his ribs as they walked past to join their leader.

Ignis struggled to get back onto his feet until a large hand reached down and helped him up. Gladio gave him a remorseful look as he handed his glasses back over and checked for any signs of serious damage. Ignis gave him a weary look and snatched his spectacles back without saying a word to the other boy.

“You ok?” Gladio asked nervously, not wanting to just leave if it turned out Ignis was actually harmed.

“I’ll live,” Ignis said with a scowl, wiping the blood from his mouth with a shirt sleeve.

“They weren’t supposed to get that rough, I should have never said anything,” Gladio trailed off, glaring back in the direction of his friends.

“Here I thought the purpose of the Crownsguard was to protect the citizens of Insomnia? It’ll be a shame when people find out that you lot are no better than the average bullies,” Ignis placed his glasses back on his nose as Gladio scoffed and glared at him.

“Maybe we just don’t take kindly to people inserting themselves in our business?”

“If you really think I was the only one to witness that foolish spectacle you caused in the courtyard the other day, you’re even dumber than you look. The only reason I stayed to watch in the first place was to offer assistance in case you fell and broke your neck- a mistake I promise never to make again.”

Gladio opened and closed his mouth in shock. Just who did this guy think he was, talking to him like that when he’d already received one beating that evening? He balled his hands into fists and vibrated with barely controlled rage as the scrawny kid challenged him with his eyes to throw a punch.

“What? Not so tough without an entourage to back you up?” Ignis goaded, though he knew antagonizing the other boy wasn’t a wise idea.

“You know what? You’re not even worth it. Do yourself a favor and stay out of our way,” Gladio growled, poking Ignis in the shoulder as a warning.

“Need I remind you that you’re the ones that came to me?” Ignis shrugged him off and Gladio clenched his fist again before turning on his heel and storming off to join his friends. Ignis glared after his retreating back until he was out of sight before slowly limping back to his study area to collect his things, replaying the encounter over and over in his head.  

If he never saw the boy again, it would be too soon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.....I'm pretty excited to get back to writing this story. Thanks a bunch to everyone for reading.


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